“Death Lights in the Tower”

by Nika

This morning, several friends notified me that our local news service “Al.com” had photos of the Drish House featured in a story about 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey by Kathryn Tucker Windham. This beloved book is being reissued today in a new hardcover edition. The Drish House is the subject of the second story in the collection, “Death Lights in the Tower”, although, to be fair, the story refers to not one but three ghosts said to inhabit the old house. 13 Alabama Ghosts andJeffrey was first published in 1969, and I read it while still in elementary school. Little did I know that one day I would own one of the houses featured in the book!

Kathryn Tucker Windham was a delightful story teller who preserved Alabama’s folktales for generations of children (including my own) to enjoy. Whether you are a believer in ghosts or a skeptic like me, these stories are worth reading over and over again. I will certainly be dragging out my tattered copy of 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey to re-read “Death Lights in the Tower” today.